The Irish standard., 1887-10-15

mother was Louisa, fourth daughter of
the late Henry Grattan, Esq, and
grand daughter of the celebrated Irish
orator and statesman, the Right Hon
orable Henry Grattan.. The family is
of Norman origin, and the title dates
from 1923, when Thomss Esmonde was
made a baronet by King Charles 1. The
family residence is Ballynastragli,
Corey, county Wexford, Ireland. One
of Sir Thomas ancestors, DR.. Es-
monde, was hanged as rebel with the
other United Irishmen in '9S. The
young man is said to personally resem-
BILE very much IN face and mein bis
great grand father Immortal Grattan, y
and the talisman of this great name
| will no doubt win for him the enthusi-
astic favor Of the audiences that will
greet the ENJOYS during their tour of
the United States.
| In personal appearance Sir Thomas
Esmonde is described as of slight fig
ure, rather handsome, and extremely
Well-bred and polite. He studied at
ClongoWe's, famous Jesuit college in
Ireland, near Dublin. His manner is
frank and cordial, and very deferential
among his elders and ladies. He has
just made his first essay as a member of
| the house of commons, and the speeches
he has made there and at the National
meetings at which he has attended give
promise that he has Inherited many Of
the oratorical graces of bis illustrious
ancestor. Ills voice is clear and musi-
cal, and the matter of his addresses
sound and logical. On the other side
OF the Atlautic the most happy results
are predicted from his American tour.
MI. Edmund Dwyer Gray was
leader in Irish politics long before
either of the other two visitors were
heard Of. He was born in 1916 and is
the son of ths famous Sir John Gray,
the friend and companion of John Gray,
the laboratory" in the agitations for
repeal and Catholic emancipation. He
was then DR.. John Gray, the editor and
proprietor for over forty years of the
Dublin Freeman's Journal, one of The
Oldest and the principal daily paper in
Ireland. Since his death in 1874 the
citizens of Dublin have erected q statue
of him in Sackyille street.
On the death OF his faith er. Mr. E.
Dwyer Gray succeeded to the control
of the Freeman's s Journal, position he
has since filled with much skill and
vigor. He has always been National
lists i'll politics. and entered Parliament
in 1875 as member for Tipperary. He
was afterward elected from Carlow, and
now sits for one of the Dublin divi-
sions. Mr. r. F. O'Connor, the we'll
known correspondent, thus describes
him:
brought up from his earliest youth
III the opinions of his father, whose
favorite son he was. he attained at an
early age correct judgement Of politi
cal affairs. His father had received
many bitter lessons during long po-
ll'ical career. One story he was never
tired Of repeating to his son. 1t was
of a man who offered to him during the
Young Ireland excitement a plan of
the defenses of Dublin Castle. Gray
treated the offer of the surrender of
the Lord Lieutenan's citidel with sus-
picion, and few days after he was not
surprised to find that the would-be
traitor was police spy in disguise.
The mind of the son is even clearer
than that Of the father, and refuses
steadily to accept any doctrine or|
course until it has been fully thought
out. In this Way Gray has sometimes
been regarded as backward when he
was demanding the full reason for the
pronered policy, and had not yet been
able to see its eventual outlet. There
is NJ man in the Irish party and few
outside it, who can state a case with
such pellucid clearness. When Gray
has completed his statement the whole
facts are as clear to the minds Of his
hearers as they have already been to
his own searching intellect"
We have it on the authority of Mr..
Michael Davitt that this honored trio
will visit our city before their depar
ture Tor Ireland. Their past records
should be a guarantee that they will be
received with open arms by our Irish
American citizens.
THE MINNEAPOLIS EXPOSITION